Once in Magnolia
by NeonGenesisMariChan
Summary: AU. 23 year old Natsu Dragneel and Gray Fullbuster have a pretty cool life. They are smart, athletic, attractive and oh yeah, they're mages. They're part of the coolest guild around: Fairy Tail and are overall cool guys, however, who would've thought that their weakness would be two girls who sold coffee? NaLu, Gruvia, Jerza, GaLe.
1. Stop for Coffee

Heyyyyy guys~ It's Mari here :) I spontaneously had this idea for a fic after a few movie marathons and blasting The Dandy Warhols' "Bohemian Like You" so there might be some slight similarities *giggles* I really wanted to try my hand at a AU fic because well...AU is cool lol.

**Disclaimer: Unfortunately for me, Fairy Tail is owned by Hiro Mashima who is my all time favorite mangaka and I aspire to be him. *bows***

* * *

23 year old Natsu Dragneel groaned in his hammock. He was currently face down in the thing, attempting to sleep. Why the fuck was he so tired? He groaned once more.

"ICE-MAKE LANCE!"

Natsu screamed in pain as the icy daggers hit his skin, he turned to culprit. "Fuck is wrong with you, you stupid stripper?!"

The raven-haired boy smirked as he threw a shirt to Natsu who swiftly caught the article of clothing. "C'mon hot head! Mira hates it when we're late! Get dressed!"

Natsu pulled himself off of the hammock and scoffed, "You're one to talk stripper."

The boy stared down to see that he was only in his boxer shorts, "Shit."

Natsu yawned as he ran a hand through his rose-colored hair. He did not want to be doing this but it was inevitable. He and Gray were amongst some of the people in Fiore who held magical abilities. Sure, it was cool and all but man did it come with a lot of responsibilities. Everyone who had these powers had to join things known as guilds, however, Natsu knew that this was just a poor excuse to keep everyone's magic in check.

Fucking system.

At least that's what Gray would always say. Gray was the douche that he had for a roommate. Sure, some might say that they were best friends but Natsu preferred 'frenemies'. It was Gray who managed to get them into this stupid thing anyway. He had some old friend, Wanda or something...maybe it started with C.

Not like it mattered. She was some kind of drunk or something, her and Gray went way back. She suggested that the two of them join the guild that she was in, 'Fairy Tail'. Natsu had to admit, the people in Fairy Tail were pretty cool. It had been almost a year since they had joined and he couldn't lie, it was a lot of a fun. Sometimes people would even request their assistance in jobs and they'd get paid.

Being in Fairy Tail was pretty sweet.

Except for waking up at seven in the morning to go.

"Let's go fire face!"

"Shut the fuck up ice princess!"

The two exited the apartment they shared as they headed outside. They walked in silence until Gray spoke, "You wanna go get some coffee?"

Natsu rolled his eyes as he crossed his arms, "Why? Missing your girlfriend?"

"She's not my girlfriend, asshole!"

"Whatever. Fine."

The two males headed towards the local coffee shop, it wasn't too far from Fairy Tail anyway. One of the girls who worked there...Juvia, she had a huge crush on Gray. Over time, the guys had bonded with the staff there, Juvia and that other girl. Natsu couldn't remember her name but she had blonde hair and these amazing brown eyes.

As the two pushed through the shop doors, they were greeted with a loud feminine voice "GRAY-SAMA!"

Natsu snickered as he elbowed his friend, "Well if it isn't the future Mrs. Fullbuster..."

"Shut it Dragneel."

Gray nervously laughed as the girl embraced him, she looked up at him with tear-filled eyes. "Juvia was so worried that Gray-sama would never come in here again! Juvia was scared that she'd never see her beloved once more!"

Natsu couldn't hide the amusement on his face as he cleared his throat. "Heeeeyyy Juvia, you don't have to worry about that. Gray was JUST THINKING ABOUT YOU!"

Gray winced as the blue-haired girl hugged him tighter, he narrowed his eyes at the other boy as he silently mouthed 'you bastard'. Natsu could help but chuckle as he took a seat at the counter, his eyes lit up as a blonde haired barista came and stood in front of him. "Hey!"

"Hey yourself. You want anything?"

"I guess the regular...ha...isn't it funny how I come here so often that I have a regular?"

"Eh? Not really. It's not like I want to see your messy pink hair everyday."

"Oi! It's salmon!"

"I thought you called it 'rose' yesterday..."

"SHUT UP STRIPPER! It's whatever I say it is..."

The blonde giggled as she ran a hand through his hair, "I'm just playing. As obnoxious as you two are...you guys are really the highlight of my day."

"Yeah?"

The girl nodded. "Not too much excitement on my end."

"You need to get out more."

"Shut it." She replied as she handed him is drink, "Y'know...I never even asked you what you and Gray even do."

"So?"

The girl groaned as she shoved the boy onto the ground, "So, tell me!"

"Fine. But you have to keep it a secret."

The blonde swiftly nodded.

"We're..." The boy took a deep breath, "...international men of mystery..."

"Oh shut the fuck up."

Natsu burst out in a fit of laughter. He didn't know why but this girl made his day.

"Lucy-san, get Gray-sama a scone!"

The blonde grumbled as she grabbed a scone from the container and handed it to the other girl.

Lucy. Right, that was her name. Natsu cocked his head at her and smiled, "You really want to know what I do?'

"I don't know. You could end up being an axe murderer..."

"Oh I wish."

"Fine. Tell me."

"I...actually don't feel like telling you anymore. Later."

Lucy watched as the guy got up and pulled Gray from Juvia's embrace, "Ugh you're such a tease!"

Natsu chuckled to himself as he pulled the ice mage, Gray waving his goodbye to the girls.

"GRAY-SAMA COME BACK!"

Lucy rolled her eyes as her co-worker laid on the floor crying out for Gray. She had no idea how she actually had come to know those guys, they had come in one day and Juvia had instantly fell in love with Gray. Natsu, on the other hand decided to take the opportunity to chat her up but unlike every other guy who did that, he was sincere. He didn't make crude sexual jokes about her, or used lame pick-up lines on her...he just liked to talk.

She stared out the window and bit her lip as the sky turned dark and rain started to pour. "Shit. Juvia stop crying dammit! You're going to fucking flood Magnolia!" She sighed as she touched the ring of keys attached to her belt.

* * *

So yeah, this fic eventually ends NaLu and Gruvia because those pairings are cool and I really felt the need to write some Gruvia too. It's kinda loosely based on the movie "That Awkward Moment" and the song "Bohemian Like You" as I mentioned before lol.

School and stuff might harbor updates but I WILL update when I can *determined face* So as always, I hope you guys enjoy and feel free to leave a review!

~Arigato, Mari :)


	2. It Takes a Phone Call

Well, let me just say how psyched I am by all the positive feedback that this fic has gotten! *giggles* that's awesome :) So here's an update because I have some time before I have to study for trigonometry lol.

**Disclaimer: Unfortunately for me, Fairy Tail is owned by Hiro Mashima who is my all time favorite mangaka and I aspire to be him. *bows***

* * *

"Mira! Don't be pissed at me, it was all stripper's fault!"

"My fault?! As if it was MY fault! It was obviously fire boy here!"

"You wanna fight me Ice princess?!"

"It would be a motherfucking honor!"

The 24 year old barmaid ran a hand through her long silver hair, she sighed as she wiped down the counter. "Boys stop." She bit her lip as the two males continued their brawl. She really didn't want to have to use extreme measures on them.

"SILENCE!"

The two males loosened their grip on one another as they turned to face the owner of the voice. Towering above them stood 24 year old Erza Scarlet, the armor-clad weapons mage and the scariest woman in Fairy Tail. It was best not to cross her, as if beating the living shit out of you wasn't enough, her 'not-exactly boyfriend' was Jellal Fernandes...a main player in the Fiore magical council.

MOTHER. FUCKING. SYSTEM.

Erza peered down at the boys, "Unless, you want his..." She pointed at Gray, "...head, up your ass..." She gestured back to Natsu, "...I suggest that you shut the hell up and listen to what Mira has to say!"

The two males nodded repeatedly as they ran over to Mirajane who smiled sweetly, "Sorry about her. She's quite strict but she gets the job done. So how are you boys?"

"Fine I guess..."

"We could be better. You're not mad at us are you?"

The woman giggled, "Oh no. Everyone's late once in a while, just don't make it habitual 'kay?"

"What happens if, rhetorically speaking, we do?"

The woman gestured to the redheaded female and the men shuddered in horror. "Yes ma'am."

"SHIT WOMAN. I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE HECK YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT. FUCK."

The three individuals whipped their heads towards the long-haired man who was yelling into his phone.

Mira frowned, "Gajeel! What's going on?"

The man covered the receiver of the phone and looked over at the barmaid. "Just the typical nuisance as usual...y'know...typical bitching."

"You know I don't like that Gajeel."

The man grumbled and rolled his eyes, "Yeah yeah yeah Mira." He removed his hand from the receiver and resumed his conversation. "WOULD YOU QUIT SLOBBERING ALL OVER THE PHONE?! AND YOU WONDER WHY WHATEVER THE FUCK HIS NAME IS DOESN'T LIKE YOU? I'LL TELL YOU WHY BECAUSE YOU'RE TOO BUSY BEING A BLUBBERING IDIOT!"

Natsu grimaced. "Sheesh. He's an asshole."

"Oh don't say that. Gajeel's really sweet under all that."

"Under all that what? Under all that asshole?"

Gray frowned, "Who's he talking to anyway?"

Mira shrugged, "Just an old friend. He talks to her almost every day. They're pretty close, actually."

"A wizard?"

The barmaid stroked her chin, "To be honest, I don't know. I've never actually met her."

The three watched as Gajeel slammed his phone down onto the table and stormed over to the bar. "Mira lemme get a glass of whiskey."

The woman nodded. She raised a brow as she handed him his drink, "What happened?"

Gajeel rubbed his face in annoyance, "Can a friend stop by here tomorrow?"

"Oh? She wants to come?!"

"Unfortunately..."

"Non-magical?"

"Not exactly..."

"Well that's splendid! What guild is she in?"

Natsu and Gray exchanged looks as the older man grew quiet. They watched as Gajeel squirmed in his seat and bit down on his lip.

"S-She's not exactly in a guild..."

"Huh?"

"She's one of them wizards...y'know the ones that don't join guilds..."

Natsu turned to face him suddenly interested in this conversation, "What? Isn't that illegal?!"

Gajeel grunted and smirked at the pink-haired young man, "And who asked you, runt?"

Natsu narrowed his eyes at the man, ready to fight him but Mira pushed him back. She turned back to Gajeel, "Natsu's right. If the magic council found out-"

"I know. I know. But she says that she does her best to hide her magic. She says if she doesn't necessarily ACT like a wizard, she doesn't have to be TREATED as one."

Gray frowned once more, "What if she slips up? If the magic council catches word they'll-"

"I KNOW. Okay? I know...stupid bitch always getting herself wrapped up in trouble. I don't know why I put up with her..."

Mira giggled, "Well it's fine with me Gajeel. You should at least try to convince her to join a guild though, it's in her best interest."

"Yeah whatever."

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

22 year old Lucy Heartfilia sat on the edge of her bed and dried her blonde hair. She sighed as she let herself fall back onto the soft sheets. Her co-worker Juvia had spent the whole day crying over that Gray guy.

Talk about co-dependent.

To make matters worse, Juvia had decided that they, yes they as in the TWO of them, would go visit her friend tomorrow at his wizard guild.

Oh joy.

How stupid could Juvia be? If they wanted to live a normal life, without the hassles of wizard guilds they would have to avoid using magic yet Juvia managed to use magic subconsciously. For instance, today's beautiful ass rain storm brought to you by the wailing of one Miss Juvia Lockser.

And Fairy Tail? Fairy Tail of all guilds.

You see, Fairy Tail had quite the reputation out of all guilds in Fiore. In a sense, they were somewhat of this badass and awesome guild. Back when Lucy had an interest in guilds Fairy Tail was most definitely her number one.

But magic was dangerous, reckless, difficult. She thought back to her mother Layla Heartfilia, she was a phenomenal Celestial wizard, however she had died a long time ago in battle. Since then, Lucy decided to give up on her wizardry.

She took a deep breath as she grasped the set of keys that currently rested on her hip.

She didn't want to be a wizard anymore.

She didn't want the burdens and pain that came with it.

She just wanted her mom back.

* * *

Man, I LOVE writing for Gajeel! You guys don't even know lol. So yeah, now the real story kicks off...well partially. I'd like to think of this fic in parts: the intro, the beginning of the relationships(whether romantic or platonic), the major plot, the cool down(mostly wrapping up the plot and the nature of the relationships), and the ending summary. So this isn't going to be an instant NaLu and Gruvia fic...nor GaLe neither. Those relationships happen over time, like all good things do *wink*. The only couple that's kinda a couple right how is Jerza because Jerza is badass lol.

Now I am off to study the wonders of sine, cosine, and tangents...oh trigonometry how I loathe thee.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy and feel free to leave a review as always!

~Arigato, Mari :)


	3. Dude, I Think We Know Those Girls

Hey, once again it's Mari here with a new chapter :D

**Disclaimer: Unfortunately for me, Fairy Tail is owned by Hiro Mashima who is my all time favorite mangaka and I aspire to be him. *bows***

* * *

"FASTER DAMMIT!"

"I swear I will CUT you. Don't rush me!"

Juvia groaned as she yanked the blonde girl by her wrist. "Gajeel-kun will be very upset with Juvia if she's late. AND Juvia will be EXTREMELY upset with you if you make Juvia late!"

"Yeah well I don't give a fuck. Why do I have to come anyway?"

"BECAUSE."

"That's not an answer Juvia."

"Juvia is scared okay?" The blue haired girl sighed as she released her grip on the other woman, "...Juvia knows that she needs to be in a guild. Lucy-san too. Juvia doesn't want to screw up and get both of us arrested..."

Lucy sighed as she placed a hand on Juvia's shoulder, "Fine..." Lucy dragged her feet as the bluenette pulled towards the guild doors and hesitantly knocked on it. The two stepped back as an extremely pretty silver haired mage opened the door.

"AH! You must be Gajeel's friend!"

Juvia hastily nodded, "Uh..yes. I'm Gajeel-kun's friend..." She shrieked in surprise as the woman pointed a finger in her face.

"You should really get yourself into a guild y'know!" She winked at them and giggled.

"W-Who told you about that?!"

Mira turned to the blonde standing behind the other girl and slapped her palm to her cheek, "Not you too!"

Lucy waved her arms frantically in protest, "No. No. No! I'm not a wizard! What? Psh. As if! Me? No...no."

Juvia put her hand on her friend's arm, "Lucy-san you're rambling..."

Mirajane just giggled once more, "Whatever you say. Now c'mon in, I'll bring you to Gajeel."

The two women followed as they entered the Fairy Tail guild hall. Lucy let her eyes wander through the room as she took everything in. She couldn't lie, it was breathtaking. All of these people were exactly like her, only they used magic at their own will, complying with the duties brought upon them by the council. She frowned in confusion at the table by the request board, she could've sworn someone was there just a moment ago...she shrugged it off.

Priorities Lucy, priorities.

She was here for Juvia, and Juvia alone. She was NOT joining Fairy Tail.

"Shit. Shit. Shit."

The raven-haired man took several deep breaths as he remained crouched behind the table. The coffee girls? What the fuck were they doing here?! His eyes widened as he saw his pink-haired roommate enter the guild. He bit his lip nervously before whispering, "Ice make grip" and pulled the boy towards his current position by the table.

Lucy and Juvia looked back at the sound of the commotion but saw nothing there. "What the hell was that?"

Mira shrugged, "No big deal, stuff like that happens here all the time..." She gestured at the male sitting in front of her.

"GAJEEL-KUN!"

"Oi! Waterworks, what did I say about the overly clingy stuff?"

Lucy couldn't help but smile a bit as Juvia tightly hugged the man before them. She turned back to the request board, maybe she was hallucinating...

"What the actual fuck ice princess?!"

Natsu was currently crouched behind the table with Gray, sneering at the ice mage. Gray frowned and punched his friend. "Shut up. Look over there but don't make it look like you're looking..."

"What?"

Gray groaned as the pink-haired male stuck his head up over the table, his head whisking around the room. Gray grabbed the boy back down by his scaly scarf and pressed their foreheads together, "You fucking moron. I said don't make it look like you're looking!"

Natsu scoffed and pushed back from Gray who tightened his grip on the scarf. Natsu raised a finger at the boy and sneered, "One, get the fuck off of me..." Gray released his grip on the scarf and scooted back a couple inches, "Two, where the fuck are your clothes, you creepy perv?!"

Gray looked down at smacked his forehead, "Great...ju-" his eyes widened in anger as he felt Natsu's hand smack against his mouth.

"Shh..."

"Hmpf...mmpf...mh...mhhstoo...hmmpf..!"

Natsu peered over the table questioningly, "...Is that Juvia all up on iron prick over there? And is that Lu-WHAT THE FUCK STRIPPER?! DID YOU JUST LICK MY HAND?!"

Gray tackled Natsu as he looked at his hand in disgust. "Shut the fuck up flame for brains!"

"Ew. Your tongue feels like a cow's..."

Gray rolled his eyes, "Why would you know what that feels like?"

"Ugh..."

Gray shook it off and peered over the table. Apparently, Juvia had been the friend that Gajeel was talking about. He couldn't help but wonder how they knew each other...Gajeel was so brash and Juvia...well, she wasn't.

But wait.

Gajeel had said that his friend was a renegade mage. Someone who should have been in a guild but for some reason wasn't. Juvia was a renegade mage? He narrowed his eyes as he tried to process this as he shook Natsu back into focus.

"Ugh...I'm probably gonna get some kind of disease. Like ice-stripper's syndrome or something..gross."

Natsu looked up as his roommate shook him, he sat up and peered over the table too. He followed Gray's lead as they crawled over hiding behind a table closer to where Gajeel and the girls currently were.

"Gajeel-kun! He's amazing! My beloved prince is the only thing for which I live for!"

Gray squirmed as he listened to Juvia's lovestruck comments. Natsu snickered, "Looks like Juvia's talking about you man!"

"Shut up."

Gajeel rolled his eyes as he rested his cheek in the palm of his hand. None of what she had been saying was truly important anyway. He cleared his throat, "Did you tell him that you are an illegal wizard?"

Juvia looked over at him in embarrassment, "Oh...um...no..."

"So you want to build a future with this prick, but you won't even tell him who you really are?'

Natsu snickered once again as he elbowed Gray in the torso, "Hah...he called you a prick!"

"Hush."

Juvia squirmed a bit as she rubbed her forearm. "What if I scared him off...?"

"Like the rest of them?"

Juvia sadly nodded.

Gajeel sighed, "Then, that's his loss."

Juvia smiled bashfully prompting Gajeel to groan, "I hate when you do thaaaattt..."

The bluenette chuckled. "Oh Gajeel-kun! Juvia is glad that you're still her friend!"

"Huh? Why'd you say that? Would I stop bein' your friend?"

"I-It's just...Juvia is an independent mage now...an illegal mage. Juvia doesn't want to bring trouble to Gajeel-kun..."

"Well whatever. I'm not just gonna abandon you because you're breaking the law y'know. Fuck the magic council anyway. Good for you."

Juvia bit her lip as she patted the hem of her dress. She looked over at Lucy's keys from the corner of her eye. Lucy was sitting patiently, waiting for Juvia's little meeting to end. Juvia smiled before turning back to face Gajeel. "Gajeel-kun, thank you for everything."

Gajeel stared questioningly as the blue-haired girl got up from her seat and began to head towards the exit, he swiftly grabbed her wrist holding her back. "Juvia. Let's be serious now, I wanted to convince you to join a guild and that's what I'm gonna do!"

Juvia shook her head and gave the man a small smile, "Gajeel-kun. Juvia has told you before that the answer is no. Juvia is sorry but Juvia must decline."

"JUVIA!"

The woman didn't respond, she continued on her path to the exit. It had been nice to see Gajeel-kun. He had been doing well, she was glad. She didn't mean to have upset him, but she had to turn him down.

Juvia in a guild?

Not again. She couldn't bring herself into that again, she had given up that life years ago. Now she was Juvia, the coffee barista. It was a good life, she had been practicing hiding her magic better and she loved living everyday as a regular human. Besides, what would Gray-sama think if he found out that she was an illegal wizard, or hell, a wizard nonetheless?

She hadn't even noticed the footsteps of the blonde female right behind her.

"Juvia. You completely tensed up when he mentioned joining a guild...what happened?"

"Juvia just doesn't want to join a guild. That is all. Lucy-san doesn't want to join one neither. Juvia can tell."

Lucy couldn't believe what she was hearing. Shortly after the girls had met, they had both admitted that they were independent wizards and they had made it their responsibility to prevent the other from exposing their magical abilities. But this was Juvia's friend Gajeel. Probably the only person that she was really open with, yet she was, walking away.

"Besides, we have to get back to work. Gray-sama might want scones."

Oh yeah him.

Lucy so wasn't in the mood to see those guys today. Sure, seeing the dark-haired one squirm in Juvia's embrace rivaled any comedy film and the pink-haired male made her entire being feel warm...but that was beside the point.

"Sorry Juvia. I'm just gonna go home..."

The bluenette looked up in surprise at her blonde friend. "Oh..o-okay Lucy-san." She frowned as the girl stalked off in a different direction, was it something she had said?

* * *

So yeah, I'm super psyched that you guys seem to like this fic. That's awesome!

As usual, I hope you guys enjoy and feel free to leave me a review okay

~Arigato, Mari :)


	4. At Three in the Morning

Luckily, I'm on winter break so here's an update my dears.

**Disclaimer: Unfortunately for me, Fairy Tail is owned by Hiro Mashima who is my all time favorite mangaka and I aspire to be him. *bows***

* * *

_Her head hurt._

_A lot._

_She placed a pale hand on top of her head, wincing as she saw blood. It made sense that her head hurt, she was bleeding. She felt like crying out...but she couldn't. Her voice had disappeared, her vision sucked too._

_"HEY! HEY!"_

_Without warning her hand gestured to the male rapidly running towards her, "WATER LOCK!" She cried as she winced in pain, her head throbbing in pain. She felt unstable as her vision came back, tears forming in her eyes when she was able to see once more._

_Gajeel._

_He was suffocating in her water lock. She was hurting him. "GAJEEL-KUN!" She gasped as her comrade hit the ground, bruised and soaking wet. As she ran over to him, she noticed that she had bruises too. She looked at her surroundings...the guild...Phantom Lord...her guild had been in ruins._

_She had no memory of what happened._

_"Gajeel-kun..." She tried to hold back tears but failed miserably, "...Ga..Ga...Juvia...is...SO...sorry..."_

_The male snorted, "Oi! Waterworks! Stop with the tears already. We're under attack...so stop being a priss and start acting like the element four bitch that 'ya are."_

_The bluenette just shook her head. Despite what Gajeel said, he would always be wrong. It was her fault...it was all her fault. She wasn't strong enough. She made too many mistakes. She was detrimental to the guild. To Gajeel._

_To herself._

"Ah!" Juvia whipped her head around her room, it was just a nightmare.

The same nightmare she always got.

She glanced at the clock: 3:04. 3:04 am...she had woken up 3:04 am because of a stupid nightmare and she didn't have to be at work until 8:00. This was why she couldn't be a mage, this was why she couldn't join Fairy Tail, the reason why she couldn't look at Gajeel.

The reason why she couldn't look him in the eye.

She didn't have time for to dwell on her personal problems. The bluenette sighed as she rolled out of bed, her silk nightgown just above her knees, her hair a mess. She took a few breaths as she made her way to the window, a cold chill caressing her pale skin.

The air was cold.

But not a bad cold...a refreshing cold. A cold that tried to snap her out of her stress, and it was doing a good job. She gazed out the window at the light drizzle, wincing at every tap when the rain hit her window.

She was the rain woman...a name given to her by others. Not particularly one she would pick for herself. True, she was once a powerful water mage from the famous element four back before her guild had disbanded, but rain woman?

The rain came when she was sad.

She hated being sad.

She hated the rain.

Juvia sighed as she ran a hand through the curls of her hair. It was no use going back to sleep now...she'd just have the nightmares again. She had retired from magic quite a few years ago, it always took her by surprise how Gajeel managed to move past the Phantom Lord incident and got himself in Fairy Tail.

Good for him.

She, on the other hand, decided that it would be in everyone's best interest for her to give up on being a mage so she took a job as a barista. She had no idea that her co-worker would also be a mage who had turned her back on magic too. Juvia couldn't lie, the coffee shop was miraculous.

For the first time in her life, she was able to smile and giggle with her new friend Lucy. She was able to give people coffee, it was wonderful. She also happened to meet two guys, the darker haired capturing her heart. "Gray-sama..." She managed to whisper as she gazed out the window. She bit her lip as she grabbed a long coat and draped it over her body, casually slipping her feet into a pair of flats.

She figured she'd take a walk around the neighborhood in an attempt to pass the time.

**TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT**

"GRAY YOU ICY BASTARD!"

Gray rolled his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose, he wished Mira hadn't told them to go and get this guy especially at three in the morning. Mirajane had ordered Natsu and Gray to go get the master's grandson Laxus. Gray didn't understand why this was a thing that had to be done at three in the morning though...luckily, Mira had sent Cana to accompany them since they had no idea where the guy lived.

"Chill the fuck out dragon boy. It's way too early to be yelling on the streets hun."

Gray smirked as the brunette female chugged down her bottle of beer before tossing it into an alley. Natsu grumbled as he leaned against a wall, he could be sleeping right now if it wasn't for Mira pairing him up with this bastard and the female drunk.

"So...where does this Laxus guy even live?" The dragon slayer questioned as he crossed his arms behind his head.

Cana shrugged, "Somewhere a couple blocks down...I've never been there sober."

"Are you implying that you've only been there wasted?"

"Look. Laxus' house isn't somewhere that people tend to go. I'm not saying nothin' happened...Laxus isn't like that. I think he's into Mira...I'm just saying that when I'm drunk and when I'm sober are two COMPLETELY different things."

Gray nodded. "So we just check like every house?"

Cana nodded, "I suppose so. It shouldn't be too hard."

Natsu groaned as the three mages checked various homes in attempt to find Laxus Dreyar. Why did Mira need Laxus now anyway? The pink haired male yawned as he rested against a street pole, his sleep filled eyes fixated on a figure across the street. He rubbed his eyes as he stared harder before grabbing Gray by this hood as Cana knocked on another door.

"What is it you little-" Gray squinted at the figure who was slowly walking along. It was a slender, feminine figure with blue curls falling down her back. She clutched a long black coat against her body. "Juvia?"

The bluenette looked over at the sound of her name and blushed furiously as she met eyes with the ice wizard. She turned away as he and Natsu ran over to her.

"Juvia? What are you doing out here? Do you have any idea what time it is?!"

"Yeah. And you wouldn't happen to know where Laxus Dreyar is would you?" Natsu really needed to get home.

Juvia shook her head sadly as she turned to look at Gray, "G-Gray-sama...w-why are you out so early...?"

"I could ask you the same."

"J-Juvia just needed to clear her head...that's all..."

Gray raised an eyebrow, clear her head about what? He watched as she released her grip on the large coat, and allowed it to fall delicately off her shoulders and to her waist only being held by her elbows, exposing her light purple silk nightgown. Gray felt his face flush in embarrassment...she was dressed so indecently...at least for being outside..."J-Juvia...you might want to put your coat back on..maybe...just a suggestion..."

"Like you're one to talk strip-OW!" Natsu sneered at Gray as he rubbed his arm.

Juvia's eyes widened as she stared down at her body, her practically see through gown hugging her cool pale skin. "Ah! Gray-sama! T-this is NOT what Juvia wants you to think of her! Juvia is very very very-" The bluenette gasped a little as the raven haired male pulled his shirt over her head and slipped her arms through, she could've sworn there was a slight blush across his cheeks as he looked away from her. "Gray-sama..."

"Yeah. Now head home okay. You shouldn't be out right now."

Juvia continued to stare in shock as she tugged on the shirt but nodded anyway. Gray ran a hand through his hair as the female quickly stalked off to where she had come from. She shouldn't have been out at this time. Especially not dressed like that, seriously. It was hard enough for him to process her being a renegade mage...it was even harder to process that the coffee girl was a renegade mage who went out at three in the morning in skimpy little outfits nonetheless.

"Uh. Guys, I can't find Laxus' house..."

Gray shot his head up at the brunette as Natsu groaned. He had almost forgotten why he was out here in the first place.

"Are you freakin' kidding me Wanda?! You fuckin' drunk! I thought you knew where Laxus lived! Ugh!"

Cana rolled her eyes as she grabbed the dragon slayer by his scarf, "Dragon boy, shut the fuck up before I shut it up for ya'! And I've told ya' it's CANA. CA-NA." She released the male and he fell hard onto the pavement. She turned her attention to Gray and cocked her head slightly, "Fullbuster, where's your shirt?"

Natsu slowly got up and dusted himself off, "He's a pervy stripper. That's what he does."

Cana rolled her eyes as she crossed her arms across her chest. Natsu chuckled as he walked over to Gray's side, who was still caught up in his own train of thought, "He gave it to Juvia, she was wearing nothing but her nightie."

"Juvia? That's Gajeel's friend right? How do you guys know her?"

Gray bit his lip, his eyes remained downcast. "Coffee..."

Cana pouted as she made her way between the two males, throwing her arms over their shoulders before chuckling maniacally. "Well, this was a bust! How about we head to the liquor store on our way back to Fairy Tail, huh?"

"Oh you would love that wouldn't ya', ya' drunk?"

Cana smirked as she hit the pink haired male across the head, and the three of them headed back towards the guild.

**TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT**

Juvia remained crouched behind the dumpster as she clutched the shirt that Gray placed on her, closer to her body. He had taken his shirt off, and gave it to her.

That would fuel her many fantasies for at least two weeks.

She had to admit, it had peaked her curiosity that Gray and his friends were out at this time and now she knew why. They were a part of Gajeel's guild...they were mages!

She didn't know if this excited her or not. Both her and Gray were mages...they could be this phenomenal mage couple. However, he was in a legal guild and she had decided to abandon her life of magic. It was like a Shakespeare play, what was she to do?

She pressed her palm against her cheek as she watched him walk away with his friends. Gajeel wanted her to join Fairy Tail, and she had to admit, with her friend Gajeel there along with the added bonus that Gray was there, it was looking quite appealing. The question was, was she ready to join a guild again?

She didn't know if she was.

She'd confront Lucy about this later. She'd probably like to know that the pink haired guy that she had a crush on was in Fairy Tail...but right now she had to get back home.

She did have a shift to get to later, after all.

* * *

Can I just say that I LOVE writing AU Cana? It's so much fun to me lol. Also, I have like a variety of ideas for different Fairy Tail AU fanfics but I don't know if I should post them yet (I don't know if I should juggle updating a bunch at a time lol)...we'll see.

As usual, I hope that you guys enjoy and feel free to leave a review.

~Arigato, Mari :)


	5. Don't Take It Personally

Hey guys, it's been a while since I updated hasn't it? *sweatdrops*

**Disclaimer: Unfortunately for me, Fairy Tail is owned by Hiro Mashima who is my all time favorite mangaka and I aspire to be him. *bows***

* * *

"Miraaaaaaaaaa..."

The silver haired barmaid looked up from the counter that she was wiping down and towards the three mages who were tiredly stalking in. Natsu slumped down in front of her and Cana sat down next to him with a bottle to her mouth, a shirtless Gray behind her. "Hm? What happened?" She questioned as she rubbed the dragon slayer's back soothingly.

"We couldn't find this Laxus guy."

"Hm? That's odd, he's usually always at home."

Cana placed the bottle down as she looked Mira in the eye, "Well, honestly, we couldn't find his house...I-I couldn't remember the address..." The brunette grinned sheepishly as she picked up the bottle once more.

"Oh. Well that's okay Cana." Mira peered over at the bag of bottles that the raven haired male was holding, "I see you stopped at the liquor store."

The brunette nodded cheerfully prompting Natsu to groan, "Yeah because apparently that's all drunky monkey here is good for."

Cana chuckled as she ruffled the boy's hair, a look of disgust sweeping across his face. The brunette smiled and hopped off the bar stool. "Mirajane I 'betcha didn't even notice Fullbuster here lost his shirt!"

Natsu rolled his eyes as the female drunk stood in front of Gray, rubbing his chest in circles as she spoke, "Yo Wanda, isn't that considered sexual harassment?"

"Jealous, hun?"

Gray didn't react though, he was used to Cana's drunken antics anyway but he just couldn't shake that little run in with Juvia. What would he do now? Could he still even go and get coffee without things being awkward? He watched as Mira laughed and pulled the brunette away from him.

"Oh alright Cana dear, I guess I'll go find Laxus later. Master Makarov really wanted him here though..." The barmaid gave a small smile as she sat Cana down, and brushed a hand through Natsu's hair. "Gray, honey. A lot on your mind?"

Gray frowned and shook his head, "Nah...uh...don't worry about it Mira. Just thinking."

The female nodded and poured a glass of ice cold water, "Drink it." The boy nodded and Mira smiled, "Now, I'm not gonna pry in your personal life because I don't do that..." The barmaid could've sworn she heard Cana snort at her statement and she rolled her eyes, "...but if you ever want to talk, feel free okay?"

The ice mage nodded.

Mira glanced at the large clock, it was 4:27 am...and the guild was pretty much dead. Apart from the three in front of her, it was just Macao and Wakaba sitting in the back chatting amongst themselves. Technically, the guild didn't operate until seven and Master Makarov was away on business so Mira was in charge.

That's why Makarov suggested to get Laxus.

"Mira?"

The girl turned and smiled at Gray, "Hm?"

"I could go get Laxus for you y'know. I mean I'd need the address but I'm sure it'll be easy and way more efficient without Captain Inferno and the drunk getting in the way."

"Oh I couldn't ask you to do that, Laxus is quite stubborn. I'll just fetch him later."

The raven haired male nodded, "Ok I guess, you got anything else for me to do?"

Mira tapped her chin and pulled out a large binder, "As of right now? I don't think so..." She filed through the pages, "Oh! I know!" She shoved a flier into Gray's face, he took it and peered down at it curiously.

_Needed: 2 Male mages, most likely in their 20s, preferably handsome (no offense to those who aren't)_

_Why: To accompany my friend and I to the Magic Council's annual wizard ball._

_Willing to pay: 20,000 jewels_

_Call the Sabertooth guild and ask for Minerva._

Gray narrowed his eyes, "This isn't exactly what I had in mind Mira."

The barmaid frowned, "Hey it's something isn't it? And look at how much it pays!"

"I don't care Mira. I have no intention of being some chick's escort."

"It didn't say escort."

"It didn't not say escort either."

The female raised her hands up in defeat, "Fine. Fine. I'm sure Jet and Droy will do it...well, if Levy persuades them..." She searched through the binder once more and pulled out a leaflet, "Okay, old Miss Mayberry needs some mages to pick up a few things for her."

Gray squinted down at the paper before rolling his eyes, "Mira, this is a grocery list. Why does Miss Mayberry need mages for a grocery list?"

"Hmm...come to think about it, I don't know. Maybe she feels more comfortable with mages..."

Gray shrugged, "I guess."

"Okay, so I'll sign you, Natsu and Cana up-"

"Nah, nah, nah." The drunken brunette spoke as she waved them off, "Count me out on this one MJ. Let these two do it, okay."

Gray couldn't help but smile, say what you want about Cana, she was a sweet girl. He watched as Mira stamped the sheet and smiled.

Mira handed the guy the paper, "Okay, I'll call Miss Mayberry and arrange it. You and Natsu will head over to her house at about nine..." She glanced over at the pink haired boy who was sound asleep, and giggled "You two should head home and rest, can't have you falling asleep on the job now."

Gray nodded as he slammed a cold hand down on Natsu's neck, prompting the dragon slayer to jump up in shock. Natsu sneered at the ice mage as he rubbed the back of his neck, "What the hell stripper?!"

"We're going home, ya' fucking pyro...we've gotta job helping Miss Mayberry later at nine."

Natsu yawned and rubbed his face, "Finally! Later Mira!"

Mira giggled as the dragon slayer ran out of the guild, the ice mage slowly trailing behind him.

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

Lucy groaned as she hit the floor. She must've rolled off of her bed again, typical Lucy habit. She frowned as she glanced up at her alarm clock, 4:45 am...that's weird her alarm usually went off by-

BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.

There it is.

She stood up and slammed her hand on top of the clock, and let herself fall back into bed. She sighed as she grabbed her cell phone, 4 missed calls? That was weird. She scrolled down her call list, one missed call from Dan, two from Juvia...that was odd, and one from a number she hadn't recognized. She redialed the last number and pressed the phone to her ear, "Hello?"

"Ah! Lu-chan?"

Lucy bit her lip at the cheery tone, "Uh..yeah?"

The voice giggled, "Oh how rude of me! You probably don't even remember! It's Levy, the girl you met at Fairy Tail!"

Lucy smiled. She had forgotten about her, Levy was this super cool Fairy Tail mage that she had met when she had gone with Juvia. They had bonded over their love of literature and apparently, Lucy had given her, her number. "Oh hey Levy!"

"Sorry to wake you up so early! I'm kind of an early bird. I was just wondering if you wanted to hang out later?"

Lucy sat up, she wasn't expecting Levy to suggest that. Sure, Levy was really cool and all but she was a wizard...a wizard in Fairy Tail, nonetheless. She didn't want to leave the girl on hold for too long, that would be rude. She sighed and responded, "Yeah I do. Um...how about you stop by the local coffee shop later? I work there."

"Oh! Okay, I'll stop by later! See you Lu-chan!"

Lucy grinned, this girl just radiated positivity. "Later Levy." The blonde stretched as she finally got out of bed, she was actually looking forward to work today. She'd hang out with Levy for a bit and then, hopefully, those guys would stop in.

Back when she and Juvia had visited Fairy Tail, the atmosphere had too much magic energy for her...all she could think about was magic...and it brought up some really tough memories. She walked over to a picture, a younger her being tightly embraced by an older blonde. She gave a faint smile as she traced a finger over the frame.

But today. Today she figured what she could really use was a nice hot cup of coffee, a chat with a nice new friend and some quality time with her favorite semi-stranger-semi-friend hybrid. Juvia would ALWAYS say that she had a crush on the pink haired male but Lucy would deny it. Juvia wanted the two of them to double date...Lucy and Natsu, and Juvia and Gray.

It was a ridiculous idea though. They were a bunch of strangers, loyal customers. Besides, they probably wouldn't be that interested in dating two girls with these weird abnormal powers anyway...

Lucy sighed as she grabbed a towel and headed into the bathroom. They had too much for anyone to handle anyway...besides the last guy she dated was a total nut job.

For all she knew, Natsu could be a nut too.

Oh who was she kidding? He was charming and charismatic, crazy in the best way possible. Well, from what she knew.

She was a freaking illegal mage. Luckily, the Magic Council hadn't thrown her in jail as of yet. They were really serious about stuff like that.

Lucy shook her head as she ran the water in the shower, she shouldn't be thinking about crazy stuff like guilds and the Magic Council, it was way less stressful when she only thought about normal things and coffee anyway.

* * *

Next chapter, the boys meet the girls again *giggles* and you know the rest...lol

I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and feel free to leave a review ;D

~Arigato, Mari :)


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